Mark Webber said he could not keep his rear tyres in shape for the final sector of his qualifying lap at the Spanish Grand Prix after he struggled to the eighth fastest time in Q3.

Webber will start seventh once Felipe Massa's grid penalty is taken into account, but he was still over 0.5s slower than Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Webber said he was disappointed to lose out in the final sector where he usually makes up time on his competitors.

"The last sector had been strong for me yesterday, this morning and in Q2, but I lost the rear tyres in Q3," he said. "I had no rear tyres left, which we did not expect to happen, and I bled a lot of lap time from turn nine to the start finish. Then you are losing rows on the grid when it's that tight in qualifying.

"I think Q1 and Q2 we had the potential but that's how sensitive it is. We saw it in winter testing too that it's very easy to be on or off and normally it's a part of the track I look forward to and gain time on other people, but it wasn't possible in Q3."

Webber said there were a lot of unanswered questions going into Sunday's race.

"It is all about tyres and we'll see who does what. The Mercedes looks very good on one lap but is it going to be a traffic jam in the race?

"Who knows? Are they going to disappear? Are Ferrari quick? We don't know until we go out there.

"Also are the tyres that we've chosen to use in qualifying the right selection for the race? People have made their bed now and we will have to see how that unfolds tomorrow. "

Following the Rugby Football Union's announcement on Sunday that England Sevens coach Ben Ryan is set to relinquish his role, various past, present and future England internationals have taken to Twitter to praise him